A Little Birdie Told Me by Sharley Scott

Publication Date: January 25, 2021

It’s 1988 and Belinda is working in a nursing home after having had quite the career driven fall.  Her new job is boring and a bit frustrating but the light at the end of that tunnel is her co-worker, Joe for whom she harbors a secret attraction though her insecurity stands in the way of hope. When thefts and worse start to happen at the nursing home, she turns to Joe. When she discovers something disturbing, she has to decide if she’ll go along to get along or if she’ll stand up for what is right and protect her residents.

I received this book for review from the Book Club Reviewer Facebook group.

 

A Little Birdie Told Me is a snapshot of the 80s. Scott puts great care into the narrative place in time. I graduated high school and started college in 1988. Scott winks at her readers through topical jokes that, given the popularity with young folk of the 80s, will unlikely become dated but could evade a certain audience but then the genre of women’s fiction itself can sometimes be a bit specific. Scott’s humor will have broad appeal. Despite the attention to background detail, A Little Birdie Told Me is a quick read that flows really well. Continue reading A Little Birdie Told Me by Sharley Scott

The Clock Strikes Midnight by Joan C. Curtis

Publication Date: November 25, 2014

 

In The Clock Strikes Midnight by Joan C. Curtis, Janie KThe Clock Strikes Midnight by Joan C. Curtisnox is living a happy life with her partner in Savannah when she discovers that she only has a few months left to live. Time is short and Janie must face the past by returning to Atlanta to tie up the loose ends of the past. Will she reconnect with the sister she abandoned and will she be able to face off with her mother’s killer and do what must be done before time runs out?

 

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Pawnbroker by Jerry Hatchett

Publication Date: October 4, 2012

 

Pawnbroker by Jerry HatchettIn Pawnbroker by Jerry Hatchett, Gary Bolton is a family man and pawnbroker. When he kills an armed robber, the repercussions are not what Gary might have thought they would be. Suddenly he’s the focus of some very bad people who will do anything to get what they want.

 

 

 

 

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The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren

Publication Date: November 12, 2012

 

The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-MorenThe Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren is a coming-of-age story that takes place in the 1970s and 1980s. Jason Lee Rainey’s father was a hero. The senior Rainey was a man who strongly believed in the Civil Rights movement and fought in Vietnam. He died when young Jason Lee was only eight months old. Living in Hadlee, Mississippi with his mother and uncle, Jason Lee must decide despite the anti-black sentiment that lingers if he will pursue a friendship with Samson Johnson. When he meets him at the school the first day, Samson bears the taunts and beatings from the other white children. Over time, Jason Lee learns more about his father, Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement and also that sometimes you have to work to make your world a better place.

 

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Such Is Life by Jeri Walker-Bickett

Publication Date: January 29, 2013

 

Such Is Life by Jeri Walker-BickettSuch a Life by Jeri Walker-Bickett contains five short stories exploring varied aspects of modern life. In Pretty Girl, a young girl meets up with a Carny Worker and in For the Love of Dog, a woman’s connection with her dog proves stronger than any bond of moral code.

 

 

 

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Trails in the Sand by P.C. Zick

Publication Date: January 10, 2013

 

pz_trails_in_the_sandIn Trails in the Sand by P.C. Zick, Caroline Carlisle is an environmental writer doing a piece about sea turtles when the BP oil spill happens. Already making people uncomfortable with her relationship with her late sister’s husband, Caroline uncovers family secrets better left in the past. Turtles andTrails in the Sand serve as a reminder that life moves forward.

 

 

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Save Me, Rip Orion by Matt Bower

Publication Date: September 10, 2012

 

Save Me, Rip Orion by Matt BowerIn Save Me, Rip Orion by Matt Bower, Roscoe and Mitch were never the shining lights of their town. Roscoe’s claim to fame is killing the career of the local football star by hitting him with a car and crippling his leg, while Mitch stays at bars late to avoid his nagging wife and the crushing reality of unemployment. When an arsonist strikes their town, Roscoe recalls their childhood obsession, superhero Rip Orion, and he and Mitch develop a plan to become heroes. Can they catch the arsonist and save the town?

 

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The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam Torode

Publication Date: August 13, 2012

 

The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam TorodeIn The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam Torode, it’s 1939 and Tobias is a sheltered 19-year-old from Remus, Michigan when his father, a fire and brimstone Baptist preacher, wraps his car around a tree drunk driver and is blinded. In the preacher’s younger days, he was very accomplished and successful musician, but after being kicked in the head by a cow, he found God and buried the money as he could not live with the idea that it had come from evil work. Now disgraced and on the verge of homelessness, Tobias’s father sends him on a mission to travel from Michigan to Texas to find the money he buried. Along the way, Tobias meets up with the reality of living in the 30s from which he’s long been sheltered.

 

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